This blog is totally independent and has only three major objectives.
The first is to inform readers of news and happenings in the e-Health domain, both here in Australia and world-wide.
The second is to provide commentary on e-Health in Australia and to foster improvement where I can.
The third is to encourage discussion of the matters raised in the blog so hopefully readers can get a balanced view of what is really happening and what successes are being achieved.

Monday, January 30, 2012

There Are Some Interesting Rumours Regarding NEHTA Doing The Rounds Tonight!

I don't have any details at this point - other than to say that apparently 'urgent reports' are being sought and assessments of the impact of the NEHTA 'product recall' on the PCEHR program are being requested.

Hardly a surprise - in fact I am surprised action did not come sooner!

It will be fun to keep an eye on www.health.gov.au and www.nehta.gov.au for any announcements / releases.

Please note this is all unconfirmed but I need readers to keep an eye out and let me know what happens and when!

Cant imagine, if your rumours are true, why DoHA has continued to allow itself to be blathered by the NEHTA spinners who have been saying the same thing for three years - all through the extended 'year of delivery'...(make that 4 years)- the PCEHR funding only allowed the 'literal" burning of a $mill a day and even more outrageous "communications". I know that Gonski(NEHTA Chair) has been asked about the NeHTA 'pink batt" issue but continues with practiced urbane smoothness. If it is true there has been a calling to account by new minister will she fall for the assurances of Gonski/Flemming double act? It seems everyone else has for some time...

One reason DoHA and NEHTA are joined at the hip relates to the fact that the dept's head, Jane halton, is also the longest-serving director on NEHTA's board. She's totally compromised in either direction.

Either she's failed in her duties at DoHA to exercise proper control over the commonwealth funds lavished upon NEHTA or, as NEHTA director, she has failed to properly manage the business and produce the outcomes the organisation has been paid to deliver.

Halton is not an elected official, so we cannot vote her out.

Although NEHTA is totally taxpayer funded, it is a private entity and the public has no seat on the board.

Now, if a private company makes losses - as NEHTA did last year - and doesnt deliver any products the market wants, it goes broke, out of business.

Instead, somehow Halton has managed a double-hat trick as the funds keep flowing to her bloated and unaccountable NEHTA "management" team.

Somehow, the idea that the dept - and relevant Minister - will act on behalf of the public where public money is involved in public projects, has been suborned.

How? Why? Who is attending to the public's interest in this project, which is undoubtedly of the greatest national importance for Australia's future health system?

Each of the state ministers/departments have also been part of the conspiracy of silence and ineptitude - they hand over half of NEHTA's funds from our state tax dollars - yet the respective revolving doors mean few have stayed long enough to grapple with the issues and none have spoken out about any deficiencies they may have detected

meanwhile, Gonski must indeed be charming if ministers continue to swoon at his feet, as Fleming has all the charisma of a used car salesman on the increasingly tatty Parramatta Rd

I have no faith whatsoever in the leadership at DOHA or NEHTA to navigate out of the current mess they are in. It's pointless focussing on the lower program level functionaries, its at the very top where the real errors in judgement and leadership style are being made. It needs a major culling,

Please stop comparing Nehta to Pink Bats. The pink bats delivered insulation to thousands of homes. It also provided short term employment to thousands of semi skilled workers, and helped prevent the fincanical meltdown from affecting Australia.

It is unfortunate that some shoddy contractors did not follow the government mandated safety procedures (some as cheap as plastic staples). But sadly people doing real work do occasionally suffer accidents. The project was largely successfull.

I suppose it can be said that Nehta has not killed one of its own workers. But otherwise the comparision is unfair to the Pink Bats project.

NEHTA's failures are indirectly resulting in unnecessary suffering and possibly excess mortality. Had NEHTA done its job properly then the benefits of saving lives would have flowed. Remember we have been waiting a very long time!

I reckon if it is pink bats or BER there are all sorts of obvious parallels to NEHTA.